Howrah: The Indian Institute of Engineering Science & Technology (IIEST) has set up a committee to suggest ways that could shore up the Shibpur campus's national ranking, which has slipped 13 notches in one year.

The primary mandate of the seven-member committee (see chart) is to suggest how the institute can draw bright students, said a member who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The human resource development ministry has been ranking institutes across the country under the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) since 2016.

The Shibpur institute, funded by the Centre and which functions under the National Institute of Technology (NIT) council, had ranked 17 under the category of engineering institutes last year. This year it has slid to the 30th position.

In contrast, Jadavpur University, a state-run institute, ranked 12 this year. Last year, it had ranked ninth.

Failure to attract top-notch students from the JEE Main has been a bane for IIEST, once considered a premiere engineering institute. "Even after its upgrade from a state university to a central body in 2015, the institution has failed to be among the top choices of the students who rank high on the merit list of the JEE Main," the member said.

An institute's ability to attract top-notch students is factored in while rating an institute under the NIFR.

Data available with the Joint Seat Allocation Authority show NIT Durgapur had drawn better students than IIEST in 2015. The situation was almost similar in 2016.

Last year, a study revealed that IIEST had drawn better students in all courses compared with previous years. Still, it lagged behind most of the NITs.

IIEST officials attribute the improvement in the quality of students to the institute's decision to scrap its five-year integrated dual-degree courses (BTech plus MTech) and revert to the conventional four-year BTech course, while allowing the students an option to enrol for the masters' programme.

"The NITs offer the four-year BTech degree course, which is preferred by engineering aspirants. We kept offering dual-degree courses till 2017. We might suggest that the IIEST offer only four-year BTech courses, without any MTech option, in core engineering disciplines such as civil, mechanical and electrical from next year," another committee member said.

Dual-degree courses might be offered in interdisciplinary programmes such as green engineering or engineering science.

IIEST director Parthasarathi Chakrabarti said he would like the committee to suggest measures on improving infrastructure such as hostels.

"We need to make the campus entirely residential. We can accommodate only half the students in need of hostel accommodation. In the absence of enough hostel rooms, a good number of students prefer not to join our institute. That is why we score low in the parameter of regional diversity," the director said.

He said the institute would only develop a national character if it could attract students from outside Bengal in large numbers.

An official pointed out the institute must improve its placement records as well.